Physician assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

125k

Average Age

39.2

Estimated Job Growth

31.3%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$112,219

Average Male Salary

$140,011

Average Female Salary

$98,268

About

Physician assistants are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Physician assistants was $112,219 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Physician assistants by wage are Other financial specialists, Astronomers & physicists, and Chemical engineers.

Physician assistants are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Physician assistants are Dane County (West) PUMA, WI, Outside Allentown & Bethlehem Cities)Emmaus Borough PUMA, PA, and Upper East Side PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Physician assistants are Allen County (Outside Fort Wayne City) PUMA, IN, Outside Allentown & Bethlehem Cities)Emmaus Borough PUMA, PA, and Monroe County (East) PUMA, NY.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physician assistants and on wages and locations for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Physician assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Physician assistants, by average wage, is Management, scientific & technical consulting services. Physician assistants are paid most in Redwood City, San Carlos & Belmont Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Allen County (Outside Fort Wayne City) PUMA, IN.

Yearly Wage

$112,219

AVERAGE SALARY

± $5,461

In 2020, Physician assistants earned an average of $112,219, $56,266 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Chemical engineers make somewhat more than Physician assistants while Other financial specialists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Physician assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.337

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Physician assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.337, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Physician assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Physician assistants.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Physician assistants

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Physician assistants.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Physician assistants, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Offices of physicians, Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Offices of dentists, Employment services, Administration of human resource programs, Offices of other health practitioners, National security & international affairs, and Justice, public order, & safety activities .

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Physician assistants, by average wage, are Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Offices of chiropractors, and Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities.

Industries by Share

125k

2020 Workforce

± 8,675

7.41%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.31%

The number of people employed as Physician assistants has been growing at a rate of 7.41%, from 116,347 people in 2019 to 124,966 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Physician assistants employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Physician assistants at 43.8%, followed by Offices of physicians with 31.3% and Outpatient care centers with 11.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Physician assistants in the US. The average age of male Physician assistants in the workforce is 42.6 and of female Physician assistants is 37.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Physician assistants is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

41.8k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,017

83.2k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,080

66.6% of Physician assistants are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Physician assistants.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Physician assistants

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

74.4% of Physician assistants are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 7.94% of Physician assistants, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Physician assistants.

Age by Sex

42.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.44

37.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.876

The median age of Physician assistants is 39.2, and Male employees are generally 5 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Physician assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Physician assistants is Health but a relatively high number of Physician assistants hold a major in Biology.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Physician assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physician assistants need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Physician assistants need more than the average amount of Science, Operations Analysis, and Service Orientation.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Physician Assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Physician Assistants are expected to see a growth of 31.3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

31.3%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Physician Assistants. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.